Chapter Four
Huxley
Ahh, shit.
I come to an abrupt stop exactly one step into the glitzy dining room at Uncle Prescott and Aunt Akiko’s home in Bel Air. The marble floors and crystal chandeliers twinkle and shine, looking like an ad for prosperity. It’s almost as if the room itself is happy.
Should’ve known better.
When my uncle and aunt invited me over for dinner, I said sure. They said it was because they missed me, and—unlike my grandmother—they don’t pressure me to join the firm. And they certainly don’t ask me to marry for “the legacy.” Also, unlike Mom, they don’t stand around gazing at me with vague disappointment and disapproval that I’m not doing what every Huxley is supposed to, what the family motto demands.
They didn’t inform me that Grandma and Mom were dining with us—two people I’ve been doing my best to avoid seeing as much as possible in recent months because I’d rather not be forced to defend myself in court for strangling them.
Akiko comes over, her serene smile never faltering despite the overt tightening of my jaw she has to have noticed. The petite Japanese woman could smile calmly while treading water in an ocean full of starving sharks. As usual, her black hair is in a bun, her makeup subtle and perfect and her outfit expensive but understated. The perfect wife for a lawyer who’s often involved in high-profile cases.
“Huxley, so good of you to come by! We missed you so much!” She hugs me.
Under any other circumstances, I’d return the hug and say something warm in response. Instead, all she gets is a short grunt.
“Isn’t it lovely that Prescott offered to host a family dinner?” Grandma beams.
She can play innocent until the second coming of Jesus, but I’m not buying it. I glance at my watch. “You know what? I just remembered an appointment I forgot about.”
“Oh, nonsense,” Mom scoffs. “Madison said you were free.”
Fuck. If they already spoke to my assistant, they really put a lot of thought and effort into this. “Sometimes she forgets.”
“Then fire her,” Grandma says. “An assistant who can’t keep track of her boss’s schedule is less than worthless.”
“I’m not firing her.” Madison is an excellent employee and presents herself well to our clients. Not only that, she has an uncanny ability to know what I need even before I ask. And she’s never given me a gift I didn’t like. As opposed to my grandmother, who sent me a gold-plated business card with my name and the Huxley it seemed fair, given what was being asked. She might have the heart of Machiavelli, but she still has a heart.
“You gave me away in marriage while I was in a coma?” I demand. “What’s wrong with you?”
“The Webbers didn’t complain.”
“Did you disclose that I could be brain dead?” I ask.
She shrugs. “They didn’t ask. Besides, it wasn’t like the news of your accident was exactly a secret.”
“And if I hadn’t woken up? What would you have done? Give one of them instead?” I gesture at my cousins.
“Obviously I can’t ask them to do more than what they’ve already done by joining the firm,” Grandma says. Unlike you . “It wouldn’t be fair. The marriage deal will strengthen our alliance, and more importantly, it’ll create an heir who can mediate between the two families.”
Too many big egos. Not enough space at the firm. “And let’s see. We’ll get a bigger percentage of the firm because you’re giving me up for one of their third-tier losers nobody wants.”
Grandmother folds her hands placidly in front of her.
“ You could marry Andreas,” I say, trying to keep my voice civil. “You’re both old and widowed. A geriatric romance. It’s all the rage these days, what with people living so long.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. We are not on the contract. And in any case, we’re far too old to produce a child.”
“Have you looked at the other girl? She isn’t stupid,” Uncle Prescott finally puts in.
“She spends twenty-five thousand dollars a month, and that doesn’t include rent because Andreas set her up in a condo for free.” Ares gave me the scoop on the other sister during a poker night. Apparently, this daughter is such a mess, the family is all hush-hush about her. Only the innermost circle knows—even most people at the firm are unaware of her existence.
“Wives are expensive, sweetie. But twenty-five a month is certainly within your capacity,” Mom says.
My patience is wearing thin. It’s the same bullshit conversation my grandmother and mom and I always have. This is why I do my best to avoid them. “Fucking her isn’t worth that kind of money.”
Grandmother turns positively apoplectic. “Huxley Lawton Lasker! She could become your wife!”
I’m not finished. “And if I ever decided to trade up, I’d need to pay her alimony too. Screw that.”
“Prenup,” Ares murmurs.
I give him a death glare. Whose side are you on?
I start to stand. Aunt Akiko looks at me, a futile hope in her eyes. “The nearest powder room is under renovation, so you’ll need to use the one off the living room.”
“I’m not going to the bathroom.”
“But I haven’t served the main course. The wagyu roast.”
“I’ll have to take a rain check.” I go around the table to lay a quick kiss on her temple, then turn to the head of the table, where my grandmother sits like a queen. “If you try to pressure me to marry a Webber again—just one more time—I will elope with whomever Dad picks out next.”